Chapter 4: Ruler in training
"I can't believe your making me do this crap." Shego stood at one end the trailing room, a tall pile of book stacked a top her head. Kim stood on the opposite end of the room. The slightest of smiles graced her lips as she spoke. "There is power in confidence. Frankly you walk more like a thief then a ruler. If you can walk like you own the whole damn world with all those books on your head then we can move on." Shego smirked, this would be too easy.
She stood up right and began to walk; as soon as she began Kim began barking orders. "Don't look down! You rule the world there is nothing interesting under your feet…Smooth strides! You're walking like some short legged animal…Get your hands out of your pockets! You rule the world show it…The books are falling keep your neck straight!" Shego reached Kim ready to straggle the young woman.
"Well that was just horrible." Kim stated matter of factly.
"I think I did good." Shego argued, shoving the books into Kim's hands.
"First of all, you mean to say you did well, if you expect to take over the world then you need to work on your grammar. Second you did not do well at all." Shego scoffed.
"Like you can do better." Kim raised a brow and balanced the books on her head.
She began a brisk walk toward the other end of the room. She soon pulled one of the books from the pile and turned to a random page. "Shadow by Edger Allan Poe. YE who read are still among the living…" She read out loud. She reached the end of the room and spun around headed for the equipment. "But I who write shall have long since gone my way into the region of shadows…" she continued to read leaping over weights and weaving past punching bags and machines, throwing in a twirl to be an annoyance.
She stopped in front Shego and closed the book the remaining books piled on her head had not moved. Shego's face reddened. "Show off." She snatched the books out of Kim's hands and started her walk again.
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Hours later Kim was finally satisfied and moved on to the next task. "You must be hungry by now." Shego rubbed her stiff neck and nodded gratefully. "Good then you should catch onto this quickly. You were always used to the finer things anyway. Take your seat and we can begin." Shego hesitantly took her seat; in front of her was a place setting.
A number of forks, spoons, knives, glasses sat before her. In the middle of all this was an empty silver plate. She cursed under her breath; she knew this was too simple. "Think of it as a game. The more you guess correctly the faster the food comes." Kim stated, taking a seat next to her. "Okay, I can do this. Salad fork, soup spoon, wine glass, champagne glass…" She pointed at each object stating its use but soon slowed finding it hard to focus with her growling stomach.
"Um…shit uh…oh come on Princess it's just one fork! I'm dyin' here." Kim shook her head, servants stood a few feet away trays of food balanced on their shoulders. "I'm not known for mercy anymore Shego now think." Shego raked her mind for the answer and ventured a guess. "Fruit fork?" Kim stared at her for a moment. "Are you sure?" Shego glared at her.
"Pumpkin don't make me have to hurt you." Kim laughed and snapped her fingers the servants piled the food on the table and bowed out of the room. Shego began to enthusiastically eat, forgetting everything around her. "Whoa whoa whoa. What are you doing?" Kim stared in shock at Shego's sudden disregard for everything around her. "Look Kimmie I haven't eaten since this morning. I'm hungry, sore, and frustrated. The only thing standing between me and that food is you, and I will not hesitate to rip through your hot self to get it." Kim sighed. "Tomorrow we're going through dinning educate."
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The next morning Shego was hauled from her slumber by the sound of a loud bang. She sat up abruptly and threw off her covers. Another bang could be heard in the distance as she walked toward the door and retched it open. "What the hell is with all the noise?" She yelled looking around the hall.
Guards ran down the corridor toward the direction of the noise, she reached out and grabbed a guard by the collar pulling him down toward her eye level. "What the fuck is with all the noise. I was trying to sleep." The guard struggled in her grip. "There is an attack on the palace. Nothing to worry about majesty." He freed himself and continued to run down the corridor.
Shego couldn't resist the promise of a good fight, she ran after the guard following him through winding corridors and down stairs until they arrived in a large courtyard. A battle was already underway, palace guards fighting masked people in black some being thrown into walls and over hedges.
Shego jumped in, happy to relieve some tension, she found a random opponent and began her fight with the mysterious person. Within minutes she had gone through three people, and found herself out numbered by four. She dodged punches, returned kicks, sent black clad opponents sailing through the air and into different groups of fighters.
"Retreat!" Someone in the crowd shouted over the noise. The masked invaders started to gather their wounded and dash through the gaping hole in the palace wall. Shego caught one of the intruders and lifted them off the ground. All around her guards lay bloody and broken on the grass moaning and colleting their wounded.
More guards flooded into the courtyard and surrounded Shego. "We can take it from here majesty." One of the guards said pulling the intruder from Shego's grip. "But I was having fun." Shego pouted as the guards escorted the masked intruder out of the courtyard.
"What the hell happened?" A voice came from the entrance of the yard. "Your guess is as good as mine." Shego said stepping over a fallen guard. "Oh Kim is going to be pissed." Monique said looking over the mass of wounded guards. "Crap the palace is supposed to be impenetrable." Shego smirked. "Guess your wrong on that." Monique ignored her comment and examined the damaged wall. "Look at the size of this hole. There is no way they could have gotten by all the security and past the barriers." She paced the yard frantically muttering to herself. "Some one had to have given them inside information." She looked at Shego acquiescingly.
"Hey don't look at me. I can barely find the bathroom in this place. How can I come up with information like that hm? Am I pulling it out of my ass? Is written on my forehead somewhere? No its not. Why don't you beat it out of the guy they just dragged off?" Monique looked taken aback.
"Oh hell no. You may be able to get away with talking like that to Kim but I'm not about to take any of that." Shego took a few long strides toward the woman and glared at her. "What are you going to do about it?" She raised a plasma lit hand. "We can settle this right now if you want." Monique's expression didn't change as she stepped closer. The stood inches from one another, the courtyard seemed to feel much colder.
"I'm ready to anytime you are." Monique responded showing no fear. Shego would have been impressed if the girl was standing up to someone else. "Shego…Monique. What is going on around here?" Kim asked walking through the yard side stepping guards hoisting the wounded of the ground. Shego and Monique continued there unwavering stare.
"Intruders broke into the palace. The guards handled it and we have one of them in custody."
"Broke into the palace? That's impossible."
"We suspect that they had…inside help."
"You got something to say?"
"Yes I do. We didn't have any problems like this until you came along!"
"Oh really so now it's my fault you can't keep your shit together?"
"ENOUGH!" Kim yelled shoving them apart. "Monique I'm putting you in charge of this. Get this fixed…" She pointed toward the wall. "Cleaned up, and when that's over go question the prisoner. I have too much to do right now." Monique hesitantly bowed and stormed out of the courtyard; Kim turned to Shego.
"I didn't do anything. Do you really think I'd do something like that to my own palace? You think I did it don't you? You really do, Pumpkin you know me do you really think I'd know the ins and outs of this place so quickly?" Shego's voice seemed to raise more with every sentence. Kim stood quietly until the woman finished.
"I don't know why you're getting so hysterical I know you didn't do it. It you would be idiotic to have your own palace attacked." Shego was suddenly relieved; Kim continued to gaze at the huge hole in the wall.
"No you'd have to know this place inside and out in order to get at least one person in unnoticed, a large group would be almost impossible." Kim seemed to think on this for a moment. "It had to be someone who has been here for years." She strolled around inspecting the wall. After a long while she spoke. "We need to get back to work. Time is running out."